Haruhi vs
by DB Sommer
Summary: Haruhi sets out on a new quest to track down the elusive urban legend, Boogiepop, only there's another player in the game she is unaware of


Haruhi vs.

Standard Disclaimer: No, I don't own the characters to Haruhi or Boogiepop.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was an unnaturally cool April day as the members of the SOS Brigade gathered around the table in the middle of their club room. Haruhi stood at the head, uncontested chairperson of the board as she made her declaration. "After many hours of contemplation, I've decided what our next project will be: we're going to discover the truth about Boogiepop."

"That'll be a bit difficult considering he's an urban legend," Kyon pointed out. "You know, like phantom cats or notebooks that kill people when you write their names in them."

"Actually it was a toss up between Boogiepop and tracking down a Death Note. I opted for Boogiepop since he's a shinigami and might have a connection to the book."

Kyon groaned. "Asahina, what do you think… What's wrong?"

All eyes turned to Asahina, who had been staring off into space, a sad glimmer in her eyes. She finally snapped out of it. "What? Oh. I was trying to think of why Yoshihiro-san killed herself."

Everyone, even Haruhi, became quiet. Emi Yoshihiro had thrown herself from the top of the school building just three days before. It was after the school had closed, and no one had seen her jump. Her body had been found by the morning janitor. There had been no note, nor anything else to indicate why she had done such a thing. The police had investigated, but turned up nothing to imply it was anything than what it appeared: suicide.

"It was probably the tests," Itsuki offered. "You know how frantic students can get when senior year rolls around."

"Troubles at home and family are a possibility as well," Yuki stated analytically.

After a moment of silence, Haruhi said in a cheerier than necessary voice, "I think launching this investigation will help take our minds off the tragedy. I've been collecting newspaper clippings and mapping locations to figure out where Boogiepop's lair might be."

"I'll be going," Asahina said abruptly, chair scratching against the tile floor as she pushed it back and stood. She grabbed her bag and headed out the door before anyone could try and get her to stay.

Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as she walked outside. Perhaps it had been talking about shinigami that had set her thinking about Yoshihiro. Emi had been one of the first people Asahina had met when she arrived in this time period. Mikuru's passive nature marked her for bullying, and a trio of the worst thugs in school had attempted to intimidate her on her second day, but Emi had seen the whole thing and ordered them to back off, which they had. There was something about her which made people know it wasn't wise to cross her. Rumor had it she could curse people. Anyone that angered her ended up having something bad happen to them. Much of it was reputed to be physical in nature. Freak accidents that broke bones. Food poisoning. But one person supposedly had a mental breakdown. In any case, everyone went out of their way to not displease her. Luckily she was fairly easygoing, and forgiving, which made her liked more than feared. It was remarkable Haruhi had never tried to examine her. Or maybe she had and found her boring.

Mikuru had found her a warm, nice person. Perhaps not a friend, more like an acquaintance, especially since she was an upperclassman, but still, Asahina felt bad about her death. Despite her reputation, she had friends and seemed to be upbeat when she saw Emi. It just didn't make sense.

Perhaps if Emi had known the truth about Haruhi, it would be different. After all, not many could deal with the concept that God was your classmate and could end your existence once she grew bored with you. It was actually quite frightening. Most would likely crack. Sometimes Asahina felt like doing that. God certainly tormented her on a personal level often enough, treating her like a personal dress up doll far too frequently.

Yes, perhaps that was what had been bothering Asahina the most. She was little more than a marionette dancing along to whatever whimsical tune her puppet master felt like playing, and Haruhi was capricious indeed. She couldn't deal with it today. She had to get away. The others could entertain Haruhi. Asahina needed time to herself.

As Asahina walked outside, someone suddenly said, "Hey, it's snowing." She looked around and saw flakes were indeed coming down.

"Sometimes it snows in April."

The voice came directly above Asahina. She looked up and her expression froze like the flakes around her. There was a girl floating in the air, directly above her.

It was Emi Yoshihiro. Frozen in mid-air, as though she had been plummeting to her death and just stopped. Except she hadn't. She had died, her body recovered. This made no sense, even by Haruhi's standards.

For a moment, Asahina thought perhaps Haruhi had brought the girl back to life, or was forcing Emi to relive the moment of her death, but no. There was something horribly wrong with Emi. It was her eyes. There was a sick sort of mirth in them, though her mouth was a flat line. The only emotion on her face was in those eyes. That wasn't the Emi she knew. She had never seen a look like than on another human being.

Asahina looked around, but no one else was reacting to the floating girl. Actually a couple of people noticed Asahina looking upward, and were trying to spot what had caught her interest, but they soon walked on, obviously unable to perceive what she was.

"It's not fun seeing things no one else can, or perhaps you're used to it by now, aren't you, Asahina?" Faux-Emi said.

Suddenly Asahina knew Haruhi had nothing to do with this. Her mind wasn't this… perverse. "What? How?"

Faux-Emi said, "Possibility, or what we refer to as imagination, is 99% imitation. Only in that remaining one percent does originality exist. And somewhere in that one percent lurks those that have the ability to make imagination reality. You already know of one such being. I am another."

This made no sense. Haruhi was unique. That was what Asahina had been told. How could there be more than one god? "Who… who are you?"

"My enemies call me… the Imaginator."

Timid by nature, for some reason Asahina felt her shyness disappear, her mind latching on to the concept Haruhi was not God, or more appropriately, not the only one. "Why… why are you here? Why do you look like Emi?"

"Though she resided in the one percent, she could not give up the here and now. And so I am forced to look for another in the one percent who knows what it means to truly… imagine. Someone like you. After all, you already gave up a 'here and now', haven't you?"

Yes, she had had to give up her world and even time, for something new, to ensure she existed. And she had been able to endure, even thrive in a fashion.

"Someone who can grasp imagination and the borders of reality it sometimes crosses over."

And when it said that, Asahina thought she knew what it referred to. There were times when she put herself in Haruhi's shoes and thought, just for a minute, she might comprehend what being God was like. It was like she could reach out and almost touch it.

Suddenly Asahina realized her hand was reaching out to touch the girl who floated above her. She drew her hand back like the being was a fire whose heat was about to burn. "What are you saying?"

"That with my help you, too, can make it snow in April." Her eyes looked past Asahina meaningfully.

Asahina turned to locate what it was this…Imaginator had been looking at, but she could see nothing. When she turned back, there was no Imaginator either.

Just air.

Asahina's eyes widened in disbelief, then closed and she rubbed them. But no, the floating figure was gone.

A hallucination? Almost surely. The pressure of dealing with constantly entertaining Haruhi, the death of Emi, and the talk of seeking out a shinigami had caused her to have a delusion. Probably everyone in the SOS Brigade had them at one time or other. Maybe she'd ask Kyon. Haruhi tormented him nearly as much as she did Asahina.

She was about to walk away when she looked at her feet. The falling snow now clung to the ground everywhere. Except right under her. The pavement was bare.

Save for an outline in the shape of a falling girl.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[End fic]

This is what happens when you read a couple of light novels from another series and suddenly wonder about crossover potential. Mind, something like Boogiepop is something Haruhi would jump all over. Of course I had to take some liberties as well with how the real Imaginator's powers seemed to work, and the opening offer to Asahina is nearly identical to the one in the Boogiepop Returns novel where Imaginator was introduced, but it was too neat a concept to leave alone.


End file.
